Revolver flash-light.



3 wEfwllG i 1910mm) J. B. GONDB'. REVOLVER FLASH LIGHT.

APPLICATION I'ILBD MAR.13,1914.

Patented Aug. 11, 1914.

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ZZ/I/ WP bran STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES B. CONDE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

REVOLVER FLASH-LIGHT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 11, 1914.

Application filed March 13, 1914. Serial No. 824,540.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES B. CoNDn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia in the county of Philadelphia and State 0' Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Revolver Flash-Lights, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to flash-light attachments for revolvers, pistols, or like firearms, the primary object being to provide a device of this character which is extremely simple in construction, and which may be readily applied to or detached from the firearm, in order that the latter may be used without the attachment in the day time, or on any occasion when it is undesirable to have the flash light connected therewith.

A further object of the invention is to provide an attachment of the character set forth, which is unitary in construction and is provided with a circuit-closing device which includes a finger piece mounted in such a position that it may be conveniently engaged by the fore-finger of the operator when aiming the firearm.

The invention consists in the features of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, hereinafter fully described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a revolver having the attachment applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of the attachment; and, Flg. 3 is a longitudinal horizontal sectional view taken through a portion of the device.

In the drawing, the flash-light attachment is shown as constructed for use upon a revolver of ordinary construction, but it is to be understood that the attachment may be modified slightly in its construction so that it may be applied to other types of smallarms without departing from the scope of my invention.

In the present instance, a tubular casing 1 is provided upon its under face wlth attaching clips 2 for sliding engagement with the barrel flange 3 of the revolver 4 in order that the said casing may be slid onto the barrel so as to be substantially coextensive with and parallel to the barrel. This casing may be constructed of brass, or other suitable metal, which must be a good conductor of electricity, and it is provided in its front end with a lamp socket 5 formed integrally therewith. An electric light bulb 6 of the requlred size may be applied to the casing by having its base 7 threaded into the socket 5. An electric battery cell 8, which is preferably cylindrical in shape, is adapted to be admltted to the casing through its rear end so as to fit snugly therein with its axially yleldable contact 9 in engagement with the medial contact 10 of the light bulb and with its other, radially yieldable contact 11 disposed adjacent to a side opening 12 of the casing. The cell is covered with insulating material in order to insulate the same from the casing wall. A hinged closure 13 is provided upon the rear end of the casing. A side plate 14: has its upper edge secured as at 15 to one side of the casing, the particular side depending upon whether the firearm upon which the device is to be mounted is used by a right-handed or left-handed marksman. In this instance, the plate 1 1 is shown as attached to the right side of the casing so that it is adapted to extend downwardly past the corresponding side face of the firearm frame immediately in front of the rotatable cylinder 16.

A laterally extending, yieldable flange 17 is provided upon the lower edge of the side plate 14 for engagement beneath the fore-part of the stationary frame piece. The flange 17 serves to secure the lower end of the side plate against lateral movement and thus rigidifies the structure. The side plate 14: also serves as a support for the circuit-closing device for the electric light. This circuit-closing device includes a horizontally movable, actuating lever 18, which is pivotally mounted upon the upper portion of the side plate as at 19 and extends longitudinally with respect to the casing 1. A lateral projection 20 is formed upon the forward end of the lever 18 and is movable radially within the casing opening 12 for engagement with the contact 11 of the cell 8 when this end of the lever is moved into its innermost position. A leaf spring 21 is secured to the adjacent side face of the casing and has its radially yieldable portion 22 frictionally engaged with the forward end portion of the lever 18, whereby the latter is maintained normally in its outermost position in engagement with the inclined limiting member 23, which latter is secured to the front end of the casing 1 and serves to shield the corresponding end of the actuating lever. The spring 21 also serves =1; row

as efficient means for maintaining the actuating lever in electrical connection with the casing, although the lever pivot serves this purpose fairly well, a better rubbing contact being gained by the use of the spring. The rearmost end of the actuating lever is offset laterally to provide an inwardly disposed recess 24, in which the upper end of a vertically extending finger bar 25 is engaged. This bar, or lever, is pivoted medially upon the side plate 14 as at 26. The lower end of this bar is provided with a flattened finger-piece 27 whose outer face is roughened, whereby the operators finger may engage the same conveniently, in order to control the light circuit. A spring 28 is interposed between the lower end portion of the finger bar and the side plate 14 in order to maintain the upper end of the said bar normally in engagement with the upper portion of the side plate 14, thereby preventing lost motion and rattling of the bar when not in active use.

In using the flash-light for directing a beam of light upon the object aimed at, the fore-finger is pressed against the finger piece 27 so as to force the same inwardly against the side plate 14, whereupon the upper end of the finger bar will force the rearmost end of the actuating lever 18 outwardly and the projection 20 provided upon the forward end of the last-named lever will be brought into engagement with the contact 11, thereby completing the electric light circuit through the casing and the foremost por tion of the actuating lever. At the same time, the second finger may be used for pulling the trigger without undue exertion. \Vhen the pressure of the fore-finger upon the finger piece is released, the respective levers will automatically assume their normay, inoperative positions, thereby breaking the circuit.

The metal parts of the attachment may be nickel-plated or finished in some such man ner in order that the device may present a neat and attractive appearance.

What is claimed is:

1. In a device of the class described, the combination with a firearm, of a flash-light attachment comprising a tubular metallic casing adapted to be mounted upon the barrel of the firearm, a barrel-engaging clip formed upon the said casing, a metallic lamp socket formed in the forward end of the casing in electrical connection therewith, a lamp bulb mounted within the said socket, a battery cell adapted to be positioned with in the casing with one of its contacts in engagement with the medial contact of the lamp base, means for insulating the said cell from the casing wall, the said casing being provided with a lateral opening in alinement with the other contact of the cell, a depending side plate having its upper edge connected with the said casing, a metallic actuating lever pivotally mounted upon the said side plate in electrical connection with the casing, a lateral projection formed upon one end of the said lever for radial movement within the casing opening, the said end of the lever being adapted to be moved inwardly to bring the said projection into operative engagement with the last-named contact of the cell, and means provided upon the side plate by which the said lever may be operated.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with a firearm, of a flash-light attachment comprising a tubular metallic casing adapted to be mounted upon the barrel of the firearm, a barrel-engaging clip formed upon the said casing, a metallic lamp socket formed in the forward end of the casing in electrical connection therewith, a lamp bulb mounted within the said socket, a battery cell adapted to be positioned within the casing with one of its contacts in engagement with the medial contact of the lamp base, means for insulating the said cell from the casing wall, the said casing being provided with a lateral opening .in alinement with the other contact of the cell, a depending side plate having its upper edge connected with the said casing, a metallic actuating lever pivotally mounted upon the said side plate in electrical connection with the casing, a lateral projection formed upon one end of the said lever for radial movement within the casing opening, the said end of the lever being adapted to be moved inwardly to bring the said projection into operative engagement with the lastnamed contact of the cell, yieldable means for normally maintaining the said lever in its inoperative position with its projection out of engagement with the said cell contact, and means provided upon the side plate by which the lever may be moved into its operative position.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with a firearm, of a flash-light attachment comprising a tubular metallic casing adapted to be mounted upon the barrel of the firearm, a barrel-engaging clip formed upon the said casing, a metallic lamp socket formed in the forward end of the casing in electrical connection therewith, a lamp bulb mounted within the said socket, a battery cell adapted to be positioned within the casing with one of its contacts in engagement with the medial contact of the lamp base, means for insulating the said cell from the casing wall, the said casing being provided with a lateral opening in alinement with the other contact of the cell, a depending side plate having its upper edge connected with the said casing, a metallic actuating lever pivotally mounted upon the said side plate in electrical connection with hi-ra the casing, a lateral projection formed upon one end of the said lever for radial movement within the casing opening, the said end of the lever being adapted to be moved inwardly to bring the said projection into operative engagement with the last-named contact of the cell, yieldable means for normally maintaining the said lever in its inoperative position with its projection out of engagement with the said cell contact, means provided upon the side plate by which the lever may be moved into its operative position, and a limiting member provided upon the front end of the casing for engagement with the adjacent end of the actuating lever when in its normal position.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination with a firearm, of a flash-light attachment comprising a tubular metallic casing adapted to be mounted upon the barrel of the firearm, a barrel-engaging clip formed upon the said casing, a metallic lamp socket formed in the forward end of the casing in electrical connection therewith, a lamp bulb mounted within the said socket, a battery cell adapted to be positioned within the casing with one of its contacts in engagement with the medial contact of the lamp base, means for insulating the said cell from the casing wall, the said casing being provided with a lateral opening in alinement with the other contact of the cell, a depending side plate having its upper edge connected with the said casing, a metallic actuating lever pivotally mounted upon the said side plate in electrical connection with the casing, a lateral projection formed upon .one end of the said lever for radial movement within the casing opening, the said end of the lever being adapted to be moved inwardly to bring the said projection into operative engagement with the last-named contact of the cell, yieldable means for normally maintaining the said lever in its inoperative position with its projection out of engagement with the said cell contact, means provided upon the side plate by which the lever may be moved into its operative position, and a limiting member provided upon the front end of the casing for engagement with the adjacent end of the actuating lever when in its normal position, the said limiting member being connected with the casing in advance of the lever end and being inclined rearwardly to form a shield for the latter.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination with a firearm, of a flash-light attachment comprising a tubular metallic casing adapted to be mounted upon the barrel of the firearm, a barrel-engaging clip formed upon the said casing, a metallic lamp socket formed in the forward end of the casing in electrical connection therewith, a lamp bulb mounted within the said socket, a battery cell adapted to be positioned within the casing with one of its contacts in engagement with the medial contact of the lamp base, means for insulating the said cell from the casing wall, the said casing being provided with a lateral opening in alinement with the other contact of the cell, a depending side plate having its upper edge connected with the said casing, a metallic actuating lever pivotally mounted upon the said side plate in electrical connection with the casing, a lateral projection formed upon one end of the said lever for radial movement within the casing opening, the said end of the lever being adapted to be moved inwardly to bring the said projection into operative engagement with the last-named contact of the cell, yieldable means for normally maintaining the said lever in its inoperative position with its projection out of engagement with the said cell contact, and a finger bar pivotally mounted upon the said side plate with its upper end engaged with the inner face of the rearmost end of the actuating lever, the lower end of the finger bar being disposed adjacent to the lower edge of the side plate and being flattened to provide a finger piece.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination with a firearm, of a tubular casing adapted to be mounted upon the barrel of the firearm, a barrel-engaging clip formed upon the said casing, an electric lamp mounted within the casing, a source of electrical supply disposed within the casing and being connected in normally open circuit with the lamp, a depending side plate having its upper edge connected with the said casing and being extended to a point adjacent to the trigger of the firearm, a movable finger piece mounted upon the said side plate adjacent to the lower edge thereof, means associated with the said finger piece for closing the electric circuit upon actuation of the same, and a yieldable flange formed upon the lower edge of said side plate and extending inwardly therefrom for engagement beneath the frame of the firearm.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES B. CONDE. Witnesses:

HELEN G. DALEY, NORMAN J. SMITH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

